


Muirea

by NemesisNyx



Series: The Day Legacy [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2019-07-14 05:52:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16034318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NemesisNyx/pseuds/NemesisNyx
Summary: Muirea is the Sith Inquisitor Alliance Commander. She likes punching people sometimes.Muirea : Moi -re- uh





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Torian ever saw Muirea she was wandering around the Mandalorian camp on Darvannis with her nose stuffed in a book. A literal book. Despite all the hustle and bustle around her, the myriad of things she could trip over, run in to, or knock over, she never did. Torian guessed rightly she was Force sensitive with how often things that were about to hit her moved at the last second, the way people that weren’t looking to see if they would walk into anybody would stop or suddenly change course. It was fascinating and Torian settled down, leaning against a stack of crates to watch her as she maneuvered about the camp.

 

#

 

Muirea was trying to avoid talking to, interacting with, or anything else with the Mandalorians if she could help it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to them. It wasn’t that she viewed them with contempt as some of her former colleagues and current contemporaries did. It was she just didn’t know how to deal with people. She never did. So she walked around with her nose buried in a book about the random customs of Mandalorians she could scrounge up.

 

She did not want to insult these proud people. She admired them. Always had. Ever since she was a little girl and a slave on Dromund Kaas watching these proud warriors walking around Kaas City showing no fear of the Sith that ordered them about.

 

Muirea had been a young Sith at the Academy, only eighteen when she graduated. But accidentally killing her rapist buy crushing his skull and making his chest explode by screaming when she was thirteen tended to get one pushed through the Academy quickly.

 

Prodigy. Prodigy was all she ever heard. Then derision at how the prodigy had been a slave. She never quite got her confidence and she still avoided people as much as possible.

 

She knew the attractive blonde Mandalorian was watching her –she always knew when people were watching her, it saved her several times. She was hyper aware. Before she had gotten frozen in carbonite, the Emperor’s own Wrath had complimented her on how vigilant she was.

 

Again, Muirea wandered what had happened to her old friends, all the people she knew from five years ago. Lana either didn’t know or wouldn’t tell her. Which was worrisome.

 

Muirea’s chrono beeped, it was time for the war meeting. She didn’t want to go.

 

#

 

Torian wanted to follow the Force user into the war tent but he was not invited. That was for Shae and Khomo.

 

Still, he wondered what the mysterious woman’s eye color was. She was slight, willowy, lithe of form, pixie in face, freckles across her nose, black hair piled into a haphazard bun at the crown of her head, pale skin, yet carried herself with a stubborn grace, as if she didn’t think she belonged in the world but defy everybody to try and take her out of it.

 

#

 

“Torian, you’re with Darth Imperius here.” Shae said bluntly, dismissing both the Darth and Torian after the directive.

 

Muirea smiled shyly up at the tall blonde Mandalorian named Torian. “You can call me Muirea if you want.” Her eyes almost met his gaze briefly before skittering over to the tent’s entrance.

 

Torian nodded, preformed a half bow. Darth Imperius. This slim woman was a Darth. She looked about twenty three by his reckoning. She must have been fairly young when she was made a Darth. “Muirea.”

 

Muirea’s mouth quirked into a rueful smile. “No need to bow, I’m not very important.”

 

Torian cocked an eyebrow and wished that she would meet his eyes. “Oh, I very much doubt that.”

 

Muirea’s shocked gaze met his for a full minute before skittering away again. Torian stood rooted to the floor. Her eyes were the clearest, bottomless blue he had ever seen.

 

“Should we get going?” Muirea asked after a few moments.

 

Torian indicated for Muirea to precede him out of the tent.

#

 

When Muirea had told Torian she needed to stop by her ship and get her things, Torian was not expecting the outfit she was wearing. From his understanding, Sith didn’t wear armor the same way Mandalorians wore armor, but this Sith.

 

Torian had no words to describe the type of armor this Sith wore. It was not like what Sith usually wore, it hugged her body like a second skin but he could the plating sewn into the shirt and thighs to cover the vital organs, the heavy combat boots, the metal cuffs, the chest piece that wrapped from the back to the front from the right shoulder, the pauldron on the left shoulder, the belt was a mix of the kind of belts that Mandalorians wore and the low slung ones that smugglers wore, her single lightsaber hanging from it. Her armor in shades of black and grey.

 

It was oddly striking. Torian was struck with how beautiful this Sith was.

 

“Ready.” She said as she adjusted her lightsaber.

 

“Let’s go.” Torian headed towards the speeder that would take the pair to their first objective.

 

#

 

Muirea enjoyed electrocuting droids. It probably had to do with that fact that she couldn’t feel when droids died as droids had no souls by Force standards. It could also be the fact it was just fun to short circuit droids enough until the droids exploded.

 

And working with Torian was relaxing, rather similar to before five years ago when she used to take down enemies with Andronikos. While Muirea liked Lana, she hated working with Force users, too difficult to pull her lightening when it was easier to kill several in one area with lightening than going after a singular target. Torian used his blaster and his efficiency and the way he joked during the battle, calling out Mandalorian battle taunts reminded her fiercely of Andronikos.

 

#

 

Torian noted the more he and Muirea fought, the more depressed the Sith became; which made him feel guilty, because the longer the duo took out Skytroopers together, blowing up targets the happier Torian became. He hadn’t been this excited since his time traveling with Brextor.

 

#

 

Muirea was livid. She was so livid she couldn’t see straight, her vision blurry and tinged in red. How dare Lana say that to her? How dare that damn Sith woman even imply not trusting the Mandalorians?

 

Muirea felt the questions from the Mandalorians as she turned several empty crates into targets, felt the first stirrings of fear quickly followed by awe as the targets were slowly electrocuted to burning piles of ash.

 

“What’d you do to piss off the Darth, Torian?” Shae asked, bringing Torian a bottle of the spiced beer Mandalorians preferred.

 

“I didn’t do anything. She got a call from a friend.” Torian shrugged. He didn’t know what was wrong but he was not about to interrupt Muirea to ask. He thought the Sith was holding on to reason by the skin of her teeth and Torian didn’t want to be a target.

 

Shae grunted; she came to same conclusion. “Well, see if you can get her to eat.”

 

It was Torian’s turn to grunt. How on earth was he supposed to approach that? Muirea  herself was crackling with electricity, any and all metal electrified within a fifty yard radius, not to mention the massive bonfire her lightening had caused.

 

Torian waited until Muirea sat on the ground, legs crossed as she leaned forward, staring at the fire with half lidded angry eyes.

 

“Food.” Torian proffered the ration bar.

 

Muirea took it, ate it without complaint. Torian had to rethink his first impression.

 

“I’m going to kill her when I see her next.” Muirea grumbled, wiping crumbs on her pants, another bolt of lightning striking a smoldering crate.

 

Torian had no idea who Muirea was talking about. “I can help you hide the body.” He offered anyway.

 

Muirea jerked, realizing for the first time that Torian was sitting beside her. “You don’t even know who I’m talking about.”

 

“True.” Torian passed the bottle of the spiced beer to her. “But I figure if she’s made you angry enough to destroy a good portion of the rubbish here in the camp then she needs to be killed.” Torian looked over, running his gaze over Muirea’s body, not hiding his actions or his appreciation. “And you don’t look like you could carry a body to a disposal site.”

 

Muirea blinked up at the strange Mandalorian that reminded her oddly of Andronikos and laughed. That was something similar to what Andronikos told her once. “You’d be surprised.”

 

Torian laughed now, a low chuckle. “Oh, I’ve no doubt about that.”


	2. Chapter 2

Muirea floated absentmindedly in the cockpit; she had turned off the artificial gravity in a fit of depression. Floating while looking at the stars was something she and Andronikos did together. She thought –wrongly –that doing something they’d use to do together would lessen the depression she’d been mired in since finishing her business on Darvannis.

 

The only highlight of visiting was the addition of the Mandalorians to the Alliance.

 

“Is there a reason you turned off the gravity?” Torian grunted, trying to paw his way into the cockpit without damaging anything.

 

“I thought it would lessen my depression.” Muirea sighed. She grabbed the back of the captain’s chair, pulled herself to the switch to turn the gravity back on –gradually. Andronikos had a huge laugh at her expense the first time he had shown her the fun that was floating by turning the gravity on suddenly and all at once. The blasted pirate only stopped laughing after she had electrocuted him a few times. “It did not work.”

 

Muirea cast curious look in Torian’s direction, he seemed to have attached himself to a chair and was slowly lowering himself to the floor while the ship’s gravity slowly came back on. He had been on a ship with its gravity turned off before.

 

“Why are you depressed?” Torian seated himself, turning to look at all the buttons and switches that made up a good portion of the ship’s cockpit.

 

“Darvannis and fighting alongside you. It reminded me one somebody dear to me that I lost.” Muirea sat in the captain’s chair. She knew it was her imagination, but she could’ve sworn the headrest still smelled like Andronikos; engine oil and those disgusting cigars he used to smoke to annoy her.

 

“How?” Torian flipped a switch, plunging the cockpit into darkness.

 

“We meet on Tatooine. He was a pirate. A disreputable pirate.” Muirea sensed when Torian fully understood.

 

Darvannis and Tatooine were very similar. Both desert, both harsh. And the pirate part meant that the person she missed wasn’t a Force user like her.

 

“What kind of blaster did they use?” Torian had an excellent way of inferring many things from few sentences.

 

Yet something else to remind her of Andronikos. Muirea pulled her knees up to her chest, rested her cheek on top. “He used two blasters. When I met him he was very upset that a former crewmate stole his blasters. We finally found them. After traveling for a few days in the desert. Lying next to a mangled body in a Sandpeople camp.” She smiled at the memory. Andronikos had cursed and kicked the dead body. It had been cute.

 

Torian did not see her smile; he heard the acute sadness in her voice. She had loved the person she was missing. She loved him a lot.

 

“What happened to him?” Torian turned to look at Muirea’s profile. Technically she should be the same age as he. Shae informed him the reason he was to be the Mandalorian representative for the Alliance was because he and Muirea were the same age. Both were twenty eight despite Muirea only looking twenty three. Well, younger truth be told. Torian figured even if she hadn’t been frozen in carbonite Muirea wouldn’t look her age.

 

“I don’t know.” Muirea sighed. “He’s just gone.”

 

Torian didn’t pry anymore. Everybody lost somebody these last five years.

 

#

 

Muirea thought her anger at Lana had dissipated on the trip from Darvannis back to Odessen. She was wrong. Upon seeing Lana leaning against the table in the war room, Muirea’s anger came flooding back and before she knew it she had punched the blonde Sith in the face, breaking Lana’s nose.

 

“Muirea!” Theron shouted, dismayed.

 

Kaliyo only laughed, Aric grunted and turned to look at something else. Senya and Koth both stared wide eyed at this breach in the relationship between two Sith.

 

“My lord, may I ask what that was for?” Lana wiped the blood away using her sleeve.

 

Muirea and Lana locked gazes for a few minutes.

 

“Hello, I’m Torian.” Torian’s mirth filled voice sounded from the doorway. “Representative of the Mandalorians.”

 

Understanding dawned in Lana’s eyes. “I see.”

 

Muirea narrowed her eyes. “See that you do.”

 

“Are we good now?” Theron asked, nervously eyeing both women.

 

“I’m going to see my cousin.” Muirea Force pulled a datapad to her. “Everybody introduce yourself to Torian. Aric and Torian, I need you both to get with Bey’wan and work out a training program.” Turning she cast a disparaging eye back at Lana. “Lana, you are expressly forbidden to getting your nose Force healed.” And with those orders, Muirea swept from the war room.

 

“So you’re the friend that called.” Torian studied Lana. “She has a good right hook.” Chuckling to himself, he asked, “Which one is Aric?”

 

Aric held up his hand. He no longer really cared about who he was working with in this Alliance. But the blonde Mandalorian gave him pause. “Here.”

 

Torian hid his surprise well. “Torian Cadera. Nice to meet you.” He proffered his hand for a shake. This Alliance was interesting to say the least.

 

Aric took it, they shook hands. “So, how do you feel about four days a week training schedule?” He motioned for the blonde Mandalorian to follow him.

 

Torian cocked an eyebrow. “Only four days?”

 

Theron watched as the Cathar sniper and the blonde Mandalorian left the war room. Would wonders never cease?

 

“Uh, Lana, what did you do to the Commander?” Koth asked.

 

Lana wiped her nose again, feeling it gently with her fingers. It was broken and she was denied Force healing. No doubt Muirea had already told every Force healer on base to not help Lana and Lana herself was garbage at healing herself. “I said something that upset her.”

 

Kaliyo laughed again, leaving the war room, her mean giggles trailing behind her.

 

Senya just cocked an eyebrow. “I was not aware the Commander also used her fists to fight. It’s probably for the best.”

 

Theron studied Lana worriedly. “Makes sense, she was infamous for getting into bar fights before she got frozen.”

 

“She fought at the academy as well.” Lana stemmed the flow of blood by pinching her nose.

 

“So she’s always been a hitter?” Theron rubbed his chin. “Makes sense in a strange way.”

 

#

 

“Cousin.” Muirea entered Aileas’ private exam room, walked over to the woman sitting on the exam bed and laid her head on the woman’s shoulder.

 

Aileas looked exactly like Muirea except her eyes were a grayish green and she had dark brown hair with naturally occurring bronze highlights and didn’t look quite so fragile. Aileas looked more like Muirea’s cousin Alyce, the former commander of Havoc Squad.

 

Aileas lifted her hand to pat Muirea on the head. “I take it Lana did something truly vexing?” Aileas spoke slowly as Basic was not her first language.

 

Muirea wasn’t even her real cousin; Muirea just called her that due to her uncanny appearance of looking like Alyce. Aileas even acted like Alyce sometimes. Their names were even pronounced the same. Aileas, Alyce, Alice.

 

But Aileas wasn’t Alyce despite all that. “She said that Mandalorians were nothing but animals.” Muirea whined into Aileas’ shoulder.

 

Aileas whistled, put her datapad down. “Wow. Despite being so smart she is one dumb ass.”

 

Muirea laughed. Aileas had a habit of saying things succinctly. Muirea climbed on the bed beside Aileas, snuggling next to the woman that looked like her cousin. “What are you doing?”

 

“I am trying to explain some of my planet’s vernacular. It’s rather hard to explain something without explaining the history.” Aileas rubbed her cheek on the top of Muirea’s head.

 

“Ah.” Muirea closed her eyes. Being with Aileas always relaxed the Sith. “I met someone.”

 

Aileas made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat.

 

“He came back with me.” She looked at the datapad’s screen. It was talking about something named France.

 

Aileas said, “Indeed?”

 

“He’s a Mandalorian. He reminds me of Andronikos. He’s my age. Or well, he’d be my age if I wasn’t frozen for five years.” Muirea wished suddenly that Aileas could leave the med-bay but Dr. Oggurobb hadn’t come up with a way to make it so Aileas could breathe Odessen air. She really wanted Aileas to meet Torian.

 

“Is he cute?” Aileas reach up and tweaked Muirea’s nose.

 

“Yes.” Muirea admitted. Her brain hadn’t realized Torian was attractive until their way back to Odessen.

 

“Huh.” Aelis finished typing up some history on France –it was a country on her home planet.

 

“You got anything to say?” Muirea asked, poking Aileas in the face.

 

“Yes, when will I stop being a giant lab rat to that worm?” Aileas tossed the datapad to the foot on the bed.

 

“When you can breathe the air of Odessen without suffocating.” Muirea looked at the air unit to the room. It was originally designed to contain plagues and diseases.

 

Aelis made a disparaging noise.

 

“Ready for another lesson?” Muirea held out her hands.

 

“I guess. At least I have you to visit me.” Aileas accepted Muirea’s hands, turning more fully to face the Sith.


	3. Chapter 3

_Ner vod,_

 

_Wanted to say thanks for letting me stick around. I’ll bring honor to Mand’alore and to you._

 

_Things are different here. Not like I expected. Barely settled in and I already have supporters. In Mando’a we call it cyar’tomade, an affectionate group. People who root for your victories. Never had one in the clans, not like Khomo does. Your people really like my hair. Not sure how I feel about that._

 

_Point is, you need a brother in combat. I’ll stand by your side. Let’s send the Eternal Empire Packing._

 

Muirea read over the email for probably the two hundredth time since she received it. Torian was thanking her, it was so sweet and she felt a tiny spark of hope but then he said that he would be a brother in combat. And she had looked up what ner vod meant. My sister, my family, my friend. And whatever hope she had died a horrible, painful death.

 

It hurt worse than being stabbed by Arcann.

 

Blinking back tears she wasn’t aware she’d been crying, Muirea downed another beer. She was drinking perhaps too much. But it was lunch time and she was free after settling yet another argument between Dr. Oggurobb and Seetwo.

 

Damn Torian and his gorgeous blue eyes. The dick –one of Aileas’ phrases that Muirea really enjoyed.

 

“Hey, mind if I join you?” Torian asked. Speak of the devil –another one of Aileas’ phrases, Muirea had no idea what it meant only that it applied and she liked it too. He wasn’t wearing his usual Mandalorian gear, and Muirea had never seen his bare hands before. It made her self-conscious about her bare shoulders.

 

“Uh,” Muirea quickly locked her datapad so the Mandalorian couldn’t read her email, wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sure.”

 

Torian and Muirea sat awkwardly, Muirea looking anywhere but Torian and Torian looking only at Muirea.

 

“So,” he said after a silence lasting long enough to be awkward, “what made you cry? You get something about that guy you told me about?” Torian had been wondering about that guy’s name and how the young Sith loved him. It must have been special considering how she talked about him. Torian felt a pang in his chest. He briefly wondered if Muirea could ever love again or if her love for the unnamed guy was too consuming. That did happen. Like with Major Jorgan, Torian highly doubted the Cathar would ever love somebody as much as he had love Alyce despite them not being life-mated.

 

“Oh, no. That’s still a mystery.” Muirea reached around the edge of the bar, pulled another beer for herself and one for Torian, handed one to Torian after popping the cap off with her teeth.

 

“That’s a neat trick.” Torian used his bottle to indicate Muirea popping her own bottle cap off using the same method. “You ever chip your teeth doing that?”

 

Spitting the bottle cap to land perfectly in the trash receptacle, she smiled. “Almost all the time. It’s where a lot of my money goes. Keeping my pearly whites straight.” Muirea flashed a toothy grin at him.

 

Torian chuckled, taking a sip of beer. It was good. “How’d you learn how to do that?” He thought it’d be a good idea to learn how to do that just case he ever got so drunk he lost his bottle opener –again.

 

“Well, my former owner was a drunk that kept losing his bottle openers.” Muirea shrugged, taking a swig of her own beer.

 

Torian choked on his beer. “Owner?” He may not know much about the Sith but he was fairly certain Sith had a master-apprentice relationship rather how Jedi had master-padawan relationships. “You were a slave?”

 

Muirea nodded, tracing circles in the condensation on her beer bottled. “Yep. I was only a slave for about five years though so it wasn’t too bad.” She shrugged again. Her past as a slave was all public record. She had kept it that way to rub it in the nose of her fellow Dark Council members, the bunch of racist snobs that they had been. Well, Marr hadn't been too terrible.

 

Torian tore his eyes away from Muirea’s face. He had known she was hiding some form of abuse; one didn’t get to be as good a hunter as Torian with his familial predicament without learning to read people but slavery was not what he had imagined. He had imagined an over-harsh master, or a jealous ex but never a former owner.

 

“Oh, sweetie,” Muirea reached out cupping Torian’s cheek, “don’t feel bad. Nobody ever guesses.” Her thumb stroked his cheek a few times before withdrawing and wrapping itself around her beer.

 

Torian tried to ignore the tingling sensation left on his cheek after Muirea withdrew her hand. It was pleasant and he wanted her to touch him again. But she was still looking for that guy she met on Tatooine all those years ago.

 

He cleared his throat. “Anything else I should know about you so I don’t make an ass of myself on accident again?”

 

Muirea worked her bottom lip between her perfectly straight teeth. “If I didn’t keep getting my teeth fixed I’d have fangs.”

 

She said it with such guilelessness that Torian almost believed her. But her eyes twinkled and the left corner of her mouth always twitched when she was telling a joke.

 

“Tell me something true, Commander.” Torian pointed his mostly full beer at her, mock admonishing.

 

He was rewarded by a giggled.

 

“Fine.” Muirea turned, tapping on finger on the very same corner of her mouth that always gave away her jokes. “I had cousin that looked exactly like me but she was ten years older. She’d be thirty eight now but she died at the very end of the war between the Empire and the Republic. A General Rakton gave her a fatal wound and she died on her way to the hospital. Major Jorgan is actually her former lover and I worry for him. Yes, my cousin was the CO of Havoc Squad before Jorgan was.” She hummed as she thought. “What else? I was on the Dark Council before I got frozen in carbonite. I had to get possessed by four ghosts in order to defeat Darth Thanaton and take his seat.” Muirea tapped her hands on the bar; imitating the rhythm she tapped on her mouth. “I don’t have them anymore because they only helped me on the promise that I would free them and I keep my word. Now, the only voice in my head is Valkorian but at least he doesn’t talk incessantly so that’s a plus.” Muirea hummed again, taking a sip of her beer as she thought of something else. “My favorite color is blue. And that’s it.”

 

Torian laughed as she finished a highly abridged version of her life story with the fact that her favorite color was blue. “I heard that that Rakton guy escaped Republic custody only to wind up drawn and quartered with a Mandalorian neck tie on his family’s front porch.”

 

“He was not drawn and quarter. He was disemboweled and I used his intestines to hang him from the street lamp not the front porch.” Muirea frowned. “Honestly, those rumors. You’d think they’d believe my version of events since I was the one that did it. What’s a Mandalorian neck tie?”

 

Torian spewed his beer. “Umm, well. Huh.” He had a hard time reconciling his image of Muirea that he knew these three short weeks and the Muirea that would brutally murder the man that killed her cousin. He also desperately wanted to answer her question, especially when she looked at him like that. Would Lana or Theron get angry with him for answering her question? Did it matter? “A Mandalorian neck tie is where a person is slit from ear to ear deep enough to cut into the throat. The person’s tongue is then pulled out of the slit. It looks like a neck tie.”

 

Muirea’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She took another sip of her beer.

 

“Yeah.” Torian took another sip of his beer.

 

Silence fell.

 

It wasn’t an awkward silence like the first time. It was a tense silence. And both knew it. Muirea had no idea why it was tense and Torian knew all too well.

 

“Darth Imperius!” Lana called, marching up to Muirea; Lana only called Muirea by her Sith title when greatly annoyed.

 

“Yes, Lana?” Muirea swallowed, winked at Torian.

 

“What is this?” Lana waved a stack of papers precariously close to Muirea’s nose.

 

“A stack of papers.”

 

Torian saw Muirea’s lip twitch. He stifled his chuckle with a swig of beer.

 

“It’s damage reports from when you were last on Rishi. The local authorities do not appreciate your side project.” Lana was working herself up into another argument. Torian assumed it was an old one.

 

“Lana,” Muirea’s voice got silent, Torian could well believe what she did to Rakton with that voice, “I have told you. I will not let it stand. And if I have any say in the matter and depending on how this whole thing ends I just might and no amount of bitching at me about what’s easier for the Alliance is going to change my mind.”

 

Lana and Torian accidentally locked gazes. Torian was curious as to the current argument. Lana didn’t want to argue in front of somebody she didn’t know.

 

“Muirea,” Lana said Muirea’s name, which usually put the Commander in a better mood, “just tell me what you did so I know how to compensate them.” This argument was a losing battle.

 

“I might have set some building on fire. With some people still in it.” Muirea had a sudden interest in Torian’s facial scarring.

 

“Is that where Havoc Squad’s grenades went?” Lana pinched the bridge of her nose.

 

“Maybe.” Muirea discovered that Torian’s facial scars were not symmetrical and that she wanted to trace the pattern with her tongue. What a surprising revelation that was, she completely drowned out what Lana was trying to tell her.

 

“Muirea, the next time you go to Rishi, please,” Lana pinched the bridge of her nose again. “Just please take somebody with you and ask before you _borrow_ ordnance from Havoc Squad again.”

 

“Will do, good buddy.” Muirea saluted sarcastically at Lana.

 

Lana threw up her hands in disgust, walking away mumbling some unkind things in Huttese.

 

“You always bring that out in people?” Torian looked at Lana’s retreating back.

 

“Basically.” Muirea shrugged.

 

“So what’s on Rishi?” Was it some clue to her past? Was it some clue to finding her mystery man? Torian needed to know.

 

“Slavers.” Muirea finished her beer before hurtling the bottle to land perfectly in the trash receptacle.

 

Torian leaned in close, placing his bare hand on her bare shoulder, and whispered, “The next time you go take out slavers, take me along. I’d love to blow up that garbage.” He leaned back, tucked an errant strand of hair behind Muirea’s ear.

 

It took a few seconds for Torian’s offer to sink in, then a huge mischievous smile broke over her face. “You’ll bring the fire power?”

 

“Oh, I always bring the fire power.” Torian winked.

 

Muirea burst into laughter.


	4. Chapter 4

Muirea glared moodily at her cousin. It was both unfair and uncanny that Aileas looked like a less breakable, more substantial Muirea.

 

Muirea was frail, waifish, delicate, she gave off the air of fragility and looked brittle at the best of times.

 

Aileas was slender, graceful, svelte, she gave off the air of daintiness and looked soft at the worst of times.

 

Muirea had dark black hair and deep blue eyes, pale skin, with freckles.

 

Aileas had dark brown hair with naturally occurring bronze highlights and green eyes, pale skin, with freckles.

 

Muirea looked like she was about to shatter.

 

Aileas looked like she was about to decimate.

 

Muirea was fine gossamer.

 

Aelis was tempered steel.

 

“It is uncanny how much we are the same yet different.” Muirea said finally, throwing herself down on Aileas’ bed.

 

Aileas made an agreeing noise but didn’t look up from what she was doing.

 

“Are you going to come to the party? Or was it card tournament? Or possible concert?” Muirea shook her head. “I don’t know. Are you coming?”

 

Either Vette was throwing a party or Gault was holding a sabaac tournament or Bey’wan was hosting a concert in three hours. It didn’t really matter. Muirea was expected to go because she was the Commander.

 

“I’m unsure if I can.” Aileas looked up from the datapad she was reading, pushing her long hair back with her glasses –modified from her real glasses to help translate Basic into English while she read.

 

Aileas was, of course, alluding to the fact that she couldn’t breathe the Odessen air by herself. She was required to wear a half mask that converted the air to oxygen levels that were similar to her home planet. Aileas was proud to announce that she could walk around outside of her room for two hours without the mask. She still had yet to be able to walk around outside the compound.

 

“I don’t see why not.” Muirea watched as Aileas toyed with the ever present necklace she wore. “There are Sith that walk around with masks on.”

 

Aileas nodded, fiddling with her necklace with more feeling. “True, but Major Jorgan is back and he might be there.”

 

“Ah.” Muirea instantly understood.

 

The problem with Aileas is that Aileas looked identical to Muirea’s cousin Alyce. And, according to Bey’wan, even smelled like her. Aileas, Alyce. Aileas could not be anywhere near Aric Jorgan. It was strictly forbidden by both Lana and Theron.

 

“He’s going to find out about you at some point.” Muirea worried.

 

“I know. But I don’t want it to be in the middle of a party, poker game, concert, whatever.” Aileas rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, snapped her stylus in half.

 

“I see your point.” Muirea watched with interest as Aileas pulled another stylus from a desk drawer. “What’s poker?”

 

“It’s a card game. I think I played a game with Nico the other day.” Aileas had indeed played poker with Nico the other day. Gault, Vette, and Torian had watched. All four were interested in the mechanics of the game.

 

Muirea wrinkled her nose. “So you’re not coming.”

 

“No, sorry.” Aileas shook her head, tapping her newest stylus against her teeth.

 

Muirea sighed and hugged a pillow.

 

#

 

Torian should not be nervous. He had no idea why he was nervous. It was a party, card tournament, concert, whatever. There were loads of people attending; the cantina already had quite a crush in it. There were Mandalorians mixing with Cathar, comparing fighting techniques; Sith mixing with Jedi, comparing lightsaber crystals; Republic soldiers mixing with Imperial soldiers, comparing ordnance; Imperial Intelligence comparing knives and slicing equipment with the SIS; Trandosians and Wookies comparing hunts. It was all very civil and all very surreal. Everybody was at ease.

 

So why did Torian feel nervous.

 

It couldn’t be because he was not wearing his armor; he often walked around the compound outside of his armor. And he wasn’t the only Mandalorian not wearing his armor; Shae was in a cocktail dress. It also couldn’t be because he took extra care in his appearance tonight. Even Major Jorgan had come to the party wearing dress clothes.

 

So why was Torian nervous? If he was honest with himself –and he prided himself on his honesty most of the time –he was nervous because if there was dancing he could ask Muirea to dance. He could touch her for an extended amount of time, he could look at her for an extended amount of time and it would be normal because they were dancing. Plus, he could spend time with the Sith, now Commander, in a more relaxed setting.

 

Torian checked his chrono. The shindig had been happening for an hour and still no Muirea. Maybe she wasn’t coming? Maybe he had missed her?

 

#

 

It turned out that the function was a combination of a party, a card tournament, and a concert.

 

Muirea hated it.

 

It was drawn out into three separate areas of the base. The party was in the cantina with a band. The concert was on the balcony with the official band. The card tournament was in the cafeteria; it had its own juke box.

 

The entire affair was crowded and cacophonous.

 

Muirea loved it.

 

“Torian!” Muirea literally ran into the much taller Mandalorian entering the cantina for a drink. “Apologies, I didn’t mean to shock you.” Muirea had gotten into the habit of shocking people that bumped into her.

 

“It’s alright.” Torian smiled down at her. “I’ve had worse.”

 

Muirea arched and eyebrow. “Do tell.”

 

So Torian did, over drinks.

 

#

 

Aileas should not be tempting fate like she was. But she had wanted to go the party.

 

“Curse Major Jorgan and his sudden attendance.” Aileas grumbled to herself from her hidden vantage point in-between the balcony and the cantina. She couldn’t get close enough without being seen to look in on the sabaac tournament.

 

She stole a drink off a passing tray and snuck back to her room, datapad clutched in one hand, pilfered beer in the other.

 

#

 

“About your fighting style.” Torian started.

 

“I know. It’s unfair.” Muirea peeled the label off her beer bottle. She was on her way to getting drunk.

 

“It’s unfair?” Torian hiccupped, he was inebriated. He had been drinking since he decided he’d attend the party, which was four hours ago.

 

“I kill people far off and never in hand to hand. I electrocute them instead.” Muirea sighed, melancholy. “It’s not very honorable.”

 

“How so?” Torian asked slowly. His brain hadn’t been working quickly in the last half hour spent in Muirea’s company, the alcohol, the relief and joy of basking in her presence fogging his brain.

 

“I basically cheat. Using the Force is cheating. It’s unfair that I can kill people without them being able to touch me.” Muirea sighed dramatically.

 

“Well, in that case, being a sniper is cheating. Tossing grenades is cheating.” Torian mused.

 

“Huh. I never thought of it that way.” Muirea smiled drunkenly up at Torian. She was leaning on her elbows on the balcony railing. “Thanks, Torian.” She couldn’t help herself, her hand snaked out and stroked Torian’s cheek, thumb tracing over a facial scar.

 

“You’re welcome.” Torian stopped breathing. They were alone in this section of the balcony, it was hidden around a corner and most people didn’t realize this area existed.

 

Muirea straightened; hand still on Torian’s cheek, her thumb now at the corner of his mouth. Torian darted his tongue out and licked the tip of her thumb, her breath hitched. They turned towards each other without thinking.

 

Torian dropped his gaze to her lips, flickered his gaze back to her eyes. She was too busy staring at his mouth.

 

He leaned in, breathes mingling, warm and smelling pleasantly alcohol. Neither were completely drunk anymore. Muirea’s hand shifted from his cheek to his neck to the back of his head. Torian’s hands found her waist. He closed the distance, lips meeting hesitantly, then more sure, until finally, Torian whipped her around, pressing her against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands in his hair, his hands on her hips, her thighs, her knees, her sides. Their lips melded together.

 

#

 

Aric caught a whiff of a scent that he hadn’t smelled in seven years. He jerked his body around to see a short female figure, darting down a hallway, hair dark brown with bronze highlights.

 

“No.” Aric whispered. He closed his eyes. It wasn’t fair. How could he be seeing Alyce here? Now?

 

He opened his eyes in time to see the figure swipe a beer from a passing tray. That was real.

 

“What?” Aric made sure that the beer was gone, that the tray was missing something.

 

#

 

Muirea was all feeling. Torian was warm, firm, inviting, and a damn fine kisser. Things were building to a fever pitch when her holo started ringing. Muirea ignored it.

 

“Commander.” Theron’s voice sounded over her ear piece. “It’s important.”

 

Muirea felt Torian reluctantly pull away as her holo continued to ring.

 

Muirea mewled in disappointment but let him place her firmly on the ground. “Yes?” She answered, winded from Torian’s kisses.

 

“Muirea,” it was Theron, his grim face coming over the holo.

 

“Theron, is it really an emergency?” Muirea avoided looking at Torian.

 

“He’s found her.” Lana butted in, pushing Theron out of view.

 

“Fuck!” Muirea banged her head against the side of the building. “Where are you?”

 

“Her room.” Lana eyed somebody or several somebodies out of view.

 

Muirea sighed. “I’ll be there soon.” She ended the call, cut her eyes to Torian. He was leaning against the railing, gazing at the Odessen landscape. She opened her mouth to say anything, closed it when nothing came to mind. “I’ll see you later. Thank you for making this party bearable.” She reached out and patted his shoulder.

 

“No problem, Commander.” Torian smiled over his shoulder, briefly placing his hand over hers.

 

Muirea and Torian shared a long, measuring look.

 

“How far away are you?” Theron asked over the ear piece.

 

Muirea sighed, dropped her hand, walked away. Torian watched her leave. Both were unhappy.


	5. Chapter 5

Three weeks since Major Jorgan discovered Aileas. Three weeks since the kiss. Three weeks of everybody walking on pins and needles around everybody else. Muirea was developing a stress headache. Three weeks of the Imps and Pubs basically reverting to being at knife point.

 

The only ones not affected by the tension were the Zakuulians, the lucky bastards.

 

Muirea rubbed her temples and wished that she had a beer or whiskey or both or whatever tequila was that Aileas kept talking about.

 

She knew that once the truth of Aileas got out it would be hard to keep tensions low but she did not imagine it would be this difficult. It was a stroke of cosmic luck that Aileas required a mask to be able to breathe outside of her room so her identity was safe until that damn party, card tournament, concert, whatever.

 

The only reason the Republic hadn’t rebelled and left is because Bey’wan. Bey’wan was known and trusted. Bey’wan was the head of the military and if he said Aileas was not Captain Alyce Day former CO of Havoc Squad then Aileas was not captain Alyce Day former CO of Havoc Squad. Now she only had to worry about Aric Jorgan.

 

“Commander,” Lana’s voice broke into Muirea’s thoughts.

 

“Yes, Lana.” Muirea waved for Lana to continue. 

“We’re going to defeat another Starfortress soon. Who do you want on you team?” Lana looked expectantly at Muriea.

 

Sighing, Muirea looked at the layout of the Belsavis Starfortress. “Is Torian free? Or maybe Shae. I want a Mandalorian this time.” Last time she had attacked a Starfortress she had brought Bowdaar and the Wookie was almost too tall for the ship.

 

“Let me check.” Lana read over her datapad. “Torian is free. Shae is not. She’s helping the resistance on Zakuul.”

 

Muirea nodded. Planting some Mandalorians to help train the refugees had been one of her better ideas. Learning ambush warfare from Havoc was great but that fighting style didn’t work for everybody. Muirea had also sent Pierce and Shae at regular intervals to teach the refugees. So far, it was a good plan. Since Shae was helping the refugees, that meant Pierce and Jorgan were rotated to other fronts. Jorgan was on Odessen. Where was Pierce?

 

“What about Pierce?” Muirea tapped her fist on the terminal.

 

“He is on Rishi helping the smugglers there.” Lana and Muirea exchanged looks; Pierce enjoyed being the hired muscle for the smugglers. He enjoyed it perhaps too much.

 

Muirea clicked her tongue. “Then Torian it is. Ask if he can join me. If not him then Kaliyo. Gault as a last ditch effort.”

 

“Not Major Jorgan?” Lana arched an eyebrow.

 

“No.” Muirea was avoiding Major Jorgan, it was unfair but she didn’t want to be bombarded by questions she didn’t have the answers to.

 

Lana knew all this. “Understood, sent a message inquiring Torian if he is free. Sent notifications to Kaliyo and Gault in case Torian can’t make it.”

 

“Thanks, Lana.” Muirea clapped the blonde Sith on the shoulder. “Without you, this entire Alliance would be a cluster fuck.” Cluster fuck was another colloquialism from Aileas’ home planet. Muirea decided that earthlings had a wide variety of descriptive phrases. “I’ll be in the cantina.”

 

Lana waved a hand, dismissing Muirea.

 

Muirea smiled and left.

 

#

 

When Muirea said she would be in the cantina she lied. What she meant was she was going to steal a bottle or three of Corellian whiskey –thank you, Major Aric Jorgan –climb to one of the many hidden corners of the roof, and drink there.

 

Muirea was not in a good mood. She needed to find a way to get Aric and Aileas on speaking terms. An impossible task.

 

“Fuck Rakton.” Muirea held one of the two bottles of whiskey she had commandeered. If Rakton was still alive, she’d kill him again out of sheer annoyance.

 

Maybe she should look up Xalek and have a sparring match. But whiskey.

 

#

 

Torian searched everywhere he could think of for Muirea. He’d gotten the email from Lana, he sent a reply but he wanted to tell Muirea in person.

 

“Koth,” Torian spied the Zakuullian leaving a storage room with Senya. “Do you know where Muirea is?”

 

Koth was acting nervy, but he answered anyway. “I saw her grab two bottles of whiskey and head to the roof.”

 

Senya arched an eyebrow and walked away, Koth watching her leave with more than just passing interest.

 

“Thank you.” Torian found Koth’s and Senya’s interaction strange but he didn’t comment; it wasn’t his business.

 

Torian headed towards the roof.

 

#

 

“You are going to get a sunburn.” Torian’s voice dragged Muirea into wakefulness.

 

“Hmm?” She asked, blinking up and up and up at him. “Why are you so tall? Did you grow?” Then she realized she was lying on her back. “Never mind, still mildly drunk. And I’m lying down so you’re probably the same size.”

 

Muirea sat up with Torian's help. Torian sighed and sat beside her. He noticed the two empty bottles of whiskey.

 

“You drink both bottles?” He was going to have to get her to drink some Mandalorian alcohol if she could drink two bottles of whiskey and be mostly fine.

 

“To be fair, one was only half full to begin with.” Muirea pulled her hair tie out, shook her hair before fluffing it. The light caught on her long black tresses making them shine blue. “Remind me to inform Hylo to replace the bottles or Koth will be most displeased with me.”

 

Muirea was still dazed from her nap, face flushed pleasantly from the sun.

 

“Koth told me where you were.” Torian tried not to notice how cute Muirea looked. She was his commander and that mystery guy.

 

“Yeah, he saw me take the bottles too. Doesn’t mean he won’t be displeased if they don’t get replaced before the next mixer.” Sighing, she plopped her head on Torian’s armored shoulder. It made a small thud noise and he wondered if it hurt. “Torian, what am I to do with those two?”

 

For a second, Torian thought she was asking what she was supposed to do about Koth and Senya but then his brain started working. “Jorgan and your cousin?” He said ‘cousin’ like he wasn’t sure what the relation between Muirea and Aileas was.

 

“Yeah.” Muirea rolled her head back so she could see Torian’s face. In this light and from angle she was staring, his facial scar looked like moles.

 

“Why do you have to do anything?” Torian scratched his nose. “It sounds like a personal problem to be settled between the two of them.”

 

Muirea nodded sagely as only still mildly inebriated people can. “I know. And I can’t interfere, not really, but the way he reacts to her is a problem I can deal with. It’s bad for morale.”

 

Torian thought about a situation earlier in the morning. Aileas was running errands for Lana and wound up in the military hanger, passing off something to Bey’wan. Aric had scented her or sensed her or whatever it was Aric did. The Cathar had followed Aileas out of the hanger and into the little storage room out in the hallway. Torian had walked in to see Aric and Aileas staring daggers at each other, neither saying a word.

 

“Is there a way you could make it to where they won’t see each other?” Torian scratched his nose again. Why was his nose to itchy?

 

“Aileas has asked permission to be put on a different shift. She’s thinking about switching to third shift.” Odessen worked at all hours, with people working in shifts. There were shifts one, two, and three, then half shifts known as fourth and fifth shifts. Fourth shifts started at eight in the morning and ended at sixteen hundred hours at night.. Fifth shift started at twenty hundred hours and ended at four in the morning. First shift was from seven am to fifteen hundred hours. Second shift from fifteen hundred hours to twenty three hundred hours. Third shift went from twenty three hundred hours to seven am.

 

Jorgan worked fourth shift. Currently, Aileas also worked fourth shift.

 

Torian nodded and removed Muirea’s hair that kept itching his nose.  “Have you given her permission?”

 

“I have. But it’s all up to Lana since Aileas falls under her purview.” Muirea sat up.

 

“You could order Lana to do it.” Torian knew as soon as he said that Muirea wouldn’t do it. Muirea didn’t order people, she asked.

 

“No. I don’t like ordering people.” Muirea shook her head. “Maybe with distance between them, Jorgan will calm down?”

 

Torian shrugged. From what he knew of the Cathar, that didn’t seem likely. “Maybe?”

 

Muirea mumbled a curse in some language Torian hadn’t ever heard. “So, is there a reason you woke me up?” She was thankful he woke her up before she got sunburned.

 

 “I wanted to tell you that I was coming with you take out the Starfortress.” Torian hid his face to cover his embarrassment.

 

“Really?” Muirea smiled crookedly. “Wonderful.” She reached out and patted Torian’s knee. “Thanks because I really didn’t want to take Gault.”

 

Torian laughed. “What about Kaliyo?”

 

“You’re to be preferred.” Muirea winked at him. Stood up. “Come on, gotta get back to work. I feel a great disturbance in the Force.” She dusted off her pants.

 

“What is it?” Torian had seen too many Force users lately to doubt their premonitions.

 

“Oggurobb and Seetwo.” Muirea snorted.

 

Torian threw his head back and laughed. It was notoriously known that Seetwo and Dr. Oggurobb did not mesh well.


	6. Chapter 6

Muirea was having a panic attack. She could hear Lana and Theron and everybody else questioning Bowdaar but she wasn’t paying attention. Aileas, her cousin, was gone. Captured by Arcann. And could now be either frozen in carbonite or tortured.

 

“Everybody shut the fuck up for a minute!” Muirea shouted, rubbing her temples. It was too much. Just too much.

 

The room fell silent. She looked around. The only people in the command room were Senya, Koth, Lana, Theron, and Bowdaar.

 

“Bowdaar, what exactly happened?” Muirea looked up at the Wookie.

 

“ _We went to my cantina to check up on business, she took her mask off once inside, next thing I knew, she was gone. I tried to get her back but I’m no match for the Knights._ ” Bowdaar couldn’t keep the emotion out of his voice. He rather liked Aileas.

 

Muirea sighed. She had been expecting to go take down another Starfortress.

 

“Do we have any intel on where she would be taken? Kept? Senya?” Muirea leaned against the terminal.

 

“She is a political prisoner; she’d be frozen and put in the same vault as you.” Senya sounded apologetic.

 

“So it’d be like rescuing me.” Muirea thumped her forehead with a fist. “Shit.”

 

“We could plan a fully fledged attack?” Theron offered.

 

“No, that won’t work. We barely got Muirea out and they didn’t know we were coming. They’ll know that we’re coming to get Miss Gray back.” Lana stated.

 

Muirea listened to them plan how to get her cousin out with Koth and Senya throwing in random bits of advice, she let their voices wash over her.

 

“We can’t save her anytime soon.” Muirea hated herself. “We should go take down a Starfortress like we were planning too. Put this on the back burner for now.” Muirea cringed; she used one of Aileas’ phrases without meaning too.

 

She saw the same pained expression on everybody else’s face, they recognized that phrase.

 

“As you wish, Commander.” Lana was the first to agree.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Theron was the second.

 

“Alright.” Koth was the third.

 

Those three knew how attached Muirea had come to be with Aileas in the seven short months she’s known her.

 

Muirea nodded her thanks at each of them. “So, let’s plan this attack. Is Torian or Shae free?”

 

“I believe so. Let me check to make sure though.” Theron checked his datapad.

 

Muirea watched as Lana walked over to Bowdaar, spoke to him in a hushed voice, Bowdaar nodded and left.

 

#

 

Torian felt the temperature in the cantina drop. Bowdaar that poor, poor Wookie was crying. He was crying because he let Aileas get captured by Arcann.

 

Muirea. Torian had to find Muirea. She would need him. She was supposed to take down another Starfortress. Torian was going to help. He would have to trade with somebody else; he had to be there for Muirea.

 

“Hey, Jogo,” Torian looked over at his fellow Mandalorian. In all honesty, Torian was surprised that Jogo survived these last five, almost six, years. “You mind switching with me? I need to help the Commander take down a Starfortress.”

 

Jogo arched an eyebrow. “What are we switching?” Jogo was just there to deliver supplies and maybe help train the soldiers.

 

“I promised Bey’wan I’d go on a weeklong terrain training, but I can’t anymore.” Torian cut his eyes to the entrance of the cantina. Shae was headed towards the command room.

 

“Sure.” Jogo shrugged.

 

“Thanks.” Torian stood abruptly and went to cut Shae off. He needed to be the one to wreck the Starfortress with Muirea.

 

#

 

Aric walked into the military hanger and felt everybody’s eyes on him. Why?

 

“Hey, Bey’wan, change of personnel, Torian is going with the Commander to take out a Starfortress.” Aric checked his datapad. “Instead you got some guy named Jogo coming with you.”

 

Bey’wan looked up at Aric. It took a minute for Aric to realize Bey’wan was gazing at him in pity.

 

“What?” Aric glanced around, seeing that everybody kept giving him covert looks of pity.

 

“You haven’t heard?” Bey’wan asked.

 

“Heard what? I was on the range with Fourex and Pierce.” Aric had been in a friendly competition with the droid and former Imperial soldier. Aric won.

 

“Aileas, Miss Gray,” Bey’wan corrected himself, seeing Aric flinch at the name Aileas, “went with Bowdaar to check on his cantina.”

 

“Yeah.” Aric nodded, he knew that. He knew every move Aileas made. He memorized her schedule so he wouldn’t run into her.

 

“She’s been taken captive by Arcann.” Bey’wan studied his friend’s face.

 

“What?” Aric couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why? How?”

 

“We think it was because she looks so much like the Commander she was taken by mistake.” Bey’wan regretted informing Aric of Aileas’ capture.

 

“Is she –,” Aric couldn’t finish his question. He swallowed hard.

 

“There’s been no announcement of her death. We’re thinking that Arcann figured out she isn’t the Commander and is keeping her as a political prisoner.” Bey’wan didn’t know what to do. Where was Nullig when he needed her?

 

“What’s being done?” Aric asked, he couldn’t help himself.

 

“They’re planning the mission on how to get her back. They can’t go in half cocked,” another borrowed phrase from Aileas, “they need to find out whether she’s been frozen in carbonite or if she’s in a cell.” What Bey’wan didn’t mention was torture.

 

But the word hung out there and over them, over the entire base like a Hutta cloud. It was on everybody’s tongue and mind but nobody spoke it. Fear, once spoken, became true.

 

“We have to get her back.” Aric placed his head in his hands.

 

“We will.” Bey’wan reach out a hand, patted his friend’s shoulder. “We will.”

 

#

 

Torian had never seen Muirea so livid before. Muirea was practically glowing a menacing purple black light, her lightning crackling off her and hitting everything about her, the room’s temperature was dropping as well. The Exarch was crawling backwards across the floor, scrambling to get away from Muirea’s anger. Torian could have told the Exarch it wasn’t going to work.

 

Muirea cornered the Exarch, placed a soothing smile on her face. The room’s temperature warmed up. “Now, do you know anything about where Arcann keeps his political prisoners?”

 

“I wouldn’t tell you anything, bitch!” The Exarch spit in Muirea’s face.

 

“Wrong answer.” The room dropped twenty degrees, all electrical outlets sparked before burning out. “Torian, is the shuttle ready?”

 

“Yes.” Torian hoped the shuttle was ready.

 

“Good, tell Theron that we have a prisoner to question. Get in touch with Lana. I’m going to need the interrogation room.” Muirea’s smile was twisted, mean, ugly. It promised ill tidings for the Exarch.

 

“Will do.” Torian used his cuff communication to send both messages to the respective parties.

 

“Let’s go.” Muirea stood up, grabbed the Exarch by the hair, began dragging the Exarch across the floor and to the exit.

 

The Exarch fought, kicking and pulling at the hand wrapped in her hair. Muirea sent a tendril of lightning from her arm into the Exarch’s skull. “There, now she’ll come quietly.”

 

 Torian arched an eyebrow; lightning seemed a pretty effective method of knocking of prisoners.


	7. Chapter 7

There was a large group of people gathered to see the Commander and company come back from another Starfortress destruction. This time though, it was because the Commander was bringing back an Exarch. That had never been done before. But the Commander’s cousin was never in the hands of the enemy before either.

 

The shuttle landed, Theron, Moat, and Torian walked down the gangplank. Moat looked freaked, Theron looked green, Torian was the only one that exhibited no emotions. He understood perfectly where Muirea was coming from.

 

Muirea left the ship, dragging the Exarch by the hair again. The Exarch was unconscious until halfway across the shuttle bay. The Exarch started struggling, half heartedly –she already looked fairly beaten up.

 

Muirea slung the much larger, heavier woman against some nearby crates with a flick of her wrist. The Exarch slammed into the crates, staggered to her feet, only to be struck with three bolts of lightning in rapid succession. The Exarch tried to get to her feet again.

 

“Yes,” Muirea hissed, hands crackling with lightning. “Please do try and fight back. I’m quite eager for a round two. Do oblige me.” The air around her was crackling with lightning again, her body glowing in that purple black light.

 

The entire room took a collective step back except for Torian and Aric.

 

The Exarch looked around, noticing no allies, no weapons, she sank back to her knees.

 

Muirea scoffed. “Fine, you’re no fun.” She threw another bolt of lightning at the Exarch, hitting the woman in the chest, knocking her back into the stack of crates, cracking her head hard enough on the crates to knock her unconscious.

 

The Exarch slid to the floor.

 

“Is the interrogation room ready?” Muirea asked Lana.

 

“Yes, Commander.” Lana stuttered out. She had never seen Muirea that angry before.

 

“Good.” Muirea stalked over to the unconscious Exarch, gripped the woman by her hair again, renewed her dragging.

 

The shuttle bay was silent until the last sound of a body being dragged disappeared.

 

As one, every eye turned to look at Theron.

 

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what the ride back was.” Theron crossed his arms and shared a look with Lana.

 

The room broke out into a babble of curiosity. Nobody noticed Torian or Aric slip out, following Muirea.

 

#

 

Muirea and the Exarch looked at each other. Or, well, Muirea looked at the Exarch, the Exarch could only blurrily make out a humanoid form.

 

“Now, I’m going to learn everything you know.” Muirea twitched her fingers in anticipation.

 

The Exarch pulled up her last reserves of bravado. “I’m not telling you anything.” She tried to spit in Muirea’s direction but her jaw didn’t fully work anymore.

 

“Then it’s a good thing your participation doesn’t require words, isn’t it?” Muirea brought her hands to either side of the Exarch’s temples.

 

The Exarch’s screams could be heard through most of the base.

 

#

 

Theron turned away, discreetly vomited in a nearby trash can, even Lana cringed.

 

“What is she doing?” Koth asked aversion and fear clear in his tone. If this is what Muirea did to somebody over her cousin being stolen then he could only imagine how the fight against Arcann would go.

 

“She is extracting information from the prisoner’s memories.” Lana flinched, averted her eyes as a spectacularly bright flash of the Force arched. “She was an inquisitor; she knows how to extract information through memories. It can be completely painless if done the right way.”

 

Lana’s words brought everybody in the room up short. Memory extraction could be painless if done the right way. That meant that Muirea knew how to get memories without torturing or causing pain. That also meant that Muirea currently didn’t care that she was causing pain.

 

“This is what she did to Rakton.” Torian spoke softly.

 

Nobody had been aware he was even in the room.

 

Theron wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “So that’s what happened to him.” Another scream was wretched from the Exarch’s throat; Theron turned and not as discreetly vomited in the trash can again.

 

Aric grabbed Torian’s elbow. “What do you mean she did the same thing to Rakton?”

 

“You didn’t know?” Torian studied Aric. “You really didn’t know.”

 

“Know what?” Aric looked from the still vomiting Theron to Lana to Torian.

 

“Muirea had her people break Rakton free so she could kill him for what he did to Alyce.” Torian blinked. “She told me about it. She did something similar to what she’s doing now.” He jerked his head at the scene on the other side of the glass.

 

Aric grunted, dropped his hand, crossed his arms and continued to watch Muirea.

 

The Exarch screamed again.

 

“Ok, I’m out. Can’t do it.” Koth threw his hands up and left.

 

“I’ll go with you, Koth.” Lana left with the former Zakuullian.

 

“You’d think Lana would be better at watching torture happen considering what her job was.” Theron burped uncomfortably.

 

“Wasn’t it similar to your job?” Torian asked the former SIS agent.

 

“Yeah, but being around this much Force makes me nauseated, always has.” Theron sat down; putting the trash can in his lap.

 

#

 

Muirea watched as the former Exarch was put on a shuttle to be sent back to Zakuul. She had extracted every bit of information she could wring out. It was a great deal of information. Most of it was useless for why Muirea captured the Exarch. The Exarch knew nothing about where Aileas would be taken or kept. But the Exarch was very helpful in giving information on how to blow up other Starfortresses.

 

“You think it’s a good idea to send her back?” Theron asked from her elbow.

 

“She’ll die on transit. She was only alive because I was healing her enough not to die. I basically killed her in the fight aboard the Starfortress.” Muirea shrugged. She should feel remorse but she didn’t. It was similar to how she felt after she killed Rakton.

 

“Aric knows by the way.” Theron glanced at Muirea.

 

“Knows what?” Muirea turned to look up at Theron. She was constantly turning to look up at people. Exceptions were Aileas, Nullig, and Bey’wan. Bey’wan was the same height as her, so was Aileas, Nullig was shorter.

 

“What you did to Rakton.” Theron pulled out his datapad, feigned checking it.

 

“Oh.” Was all she said.

 

“Yeah.” Theron put his datapad away. “That’s all you have to say?”

 

“Yes.” Muirea shrugged.

What more could she say? She kidnapped and killed the man that caused her cousin to die. She had tortured somebody to try and get information about the only remaining family she had. It did not go as planned.

 

“We’ll get her back, Muirea.” Theron touched her elbow briefly, ran his hand over her hair. “I promise.”

 

“Thanks, Theron.” Muirea smiled at him before walking away.

 

#

 

Torian found Muirea in Aileas’ room, lying on the bed crying into a pillow.

 

“Hey,” Torian had no idea why he felt the urge, the need, to seek out Muirea only that he did. He wanted to be the one to comfort her. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he placed a hand softly on her shoulder.

 

He didn’t ask her if she was ok. He didn’t ask her if there was anything he could do. She wasn’t ok. There was nothing he could do other than a suicide run on the Spire to rescue Aileas.

 

Muirea hiccuped and cried harder. Torian braved electrocution, climbed into the bed, snuggled up behind Muirea, pulled her against his chest, spoke into her hair, “You wanna go kill some slavers? There’s some good hunting on Dantooine. Maybe Hoth if you don’t mind freezing.” Muirea hiccuped, turning her head to look at Torian. Torian’s lip quirked up into a half smile. “Did I ever tell you about the time Brextor and I took down a massive wampa on Hoth? It was perhaps too big for us but we had been drinking and Gault bet us that we couldn’t take down more than three wampas apiece considering how drunk we were. We of course, took him up on it.”

 

“I forgot you knew Gault.” Muirea said, voice small, clutching Aileas’ pillow.

 

“Oh yeah. Remind me to tell you the story of Gault at some point. You’ll laugh.” Torian settled on his back, Muirea pressed firmly into his side as she rolled over to place her head on his chest. “Anyway, back to Hoth. There we were, drunker than a skunk, and we killed the three wampas the bet required. Then out of nowhere this massive wampa shows up. Had to be three times larger than the ones we just killed. It roars so loud the cave walls are shaking. So Brextor and I are looking at each other like ‘oh no, I have made a mistake’ and that’s when this wampa charges Brextor. He uses his rocket boots and grappling gun to get out of the way. I, of course, chunk a grenade.” Torian’s eye flitted to meet Muirea’s before flitting back to look at the ceiling. “Back then I used a vibrostaff instead of a rifle.”

 

“Is that fight one of the reason you picked up a rifle?” Muirea asked.

 

“One of them, yeah.” Torian began rubbing Muirea’s back. “Any way, it took a bit of doing but eventually we took down the wampa. You should’ve seen Gault’s face when we came dragging all the hides and some meat back with us. He paid us double.” He chuckled at the memory.

 

“Is hunting fun?” Muirea traced circled on Torian’s chest with a finger.

 

“I find it so.” Torian studied Muirea. “So, Hoth or Dantooine?”

 

Muirea shrugged. “I’ve never been to Dantooine.”

 

“Dantooine it is.” Torian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll get a hunting party together.”

 

“Can’t go.” Muirea sighed, closed her eyes.

 

“Why not?” Torian lifted her chin up.

 

“Got to plan how to save Aileas.” Muirea’s eyes began welling with tears again.

 

“You need a break. You're not thinking clearly enough to plan a good rescue. Let Theron and Lana take care of it. And from what I hear, they are nowhere close to figuring out where she is.” Torian did not mention how Aileas could be in carbonite. Nor how Aileas could be sitting in a cell. Nor how she could be tortured.

 

Muirea looked into Torian’s eyes, thinking. “What kind of hunting is to be had on Dantooine?”

 

Torian cracked a smile. “Graul.”

 

“Can I use lightning?” Muirea asked, a small smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

 

“You can use whatever you want as long as you take one down.” Torian wiped a tear from her eye.

 

Muirea smiled before laying her head back on Torian chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graul - beast native to Dantooine


	8. Chapter 8

It had been two months and three more down Starfortresses and still no closer to getting Aileas back. Aric was becoming a basket case, Bowdaar was drowning in guilt, he had decided to stay on Zakuul in hopes that maybe Aileas would walk into the cantina with some story about Arcann letting her go.

 

Muirea knew she was about to get horrible news. Her hands white knuckled the railing of the balcony.

 

“Commander,” Lana’s voice.

 

Muirea squeezed her eyes shut, body freezing. Here was the terrible news.

 

“Rea,” Lana whispered, using the nickname Aileas had given Muirea months before. “Bowdaar found this while moving furniture in his cantina.”

 

Muirea did not want to look but she did anyway. Lana was holding a facial mask. The very same kind that Aileas used to breathe. Muirea swallowed past a lump in her throat. Aileas was dead, or close to dying. Slowly suffocating from lack of proper atmosphere.

 

Muirea clenched her eyes shut again, forcing her tears to fall down her face, turning to look out at the Odessen sunset.

 

“Rea, I’m deeply sorry for your loss.” Lana placed a gentle hand on Muirea’s shoulder.

 

Muirea broke into sob, bending so she could cry in a crouched position on the balcony, not caring if others should see her, hear her. Lana stayed with her until her tears were spent.

 

#

 

Aric sat gazing blindly at his whiskey. He should’ve known something was up when Bey’wan stopped work in the middle of the day to suggest they go get a drink.

 

“Is she—,” He couldn’t even finish the question; he rubbed his face with his hands.

 

“According to Doctor Lokin, there is a minimal chance that she could survive without her mask on Zakuul for this long.” Bey’wan never enjoyed giving bad news.

 

“Fuck.” Aric put his head in his arms, nose pressed into the table’s surface. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He whispered as he felt a tear slide down his fur to drip onto the table. He wasn’t apologizing to Bey’wan.

 

Bey’wan placed a comforting hand on Aric’s shoulder, shaking his head at several people that wanted to comfort Aric as well.

 

#

 

Torian found Aric in Aileas’ room. He had been looking for Muirea but found the Cathar instead.

 

“She was here.” Aric answered Torian’s unasked question. “She left. Check her ship.”

 

Torian had never seen the Cathar look so depressed. Aric sat on the edge of Aileas’ bed, staring down at a pillow.

 

“You wanna go kill something?” Torian asked. Aric was a soldier, a man of action, like Torian. Torian figured offering a hunting trip to the Cathar could help.

 

“I want to kill Arcann.” Aric met Torian’s eyes.

 

There was so much rage burning in those orange depths. “You’ll get your chance.” If it was the last thing Torian did, he would make sure Arcann paid for Aileas’ death.

 

Aric nodded, bent to bury his head into the pillow. Torian thought he heard muffled sobs. He left the Cathar alone.

 

#

 

Muirea was drunk and spinning around in the captain’s chair on her ship. It was, in all aspects, a terrible idea. She had tried sparring earlier but she had almost set the enclave on fire, twice, and Sana Rae had nicely but firmly kicked her out.

 

So she’d stolen several bottles of Mandalorian spiced alcohol –three cases in fact –had drunk through one and a half of the cases, and here she was, spinning in the captain’s chair making herself dizzy and nauseated.

 

And that’s how Torian found her, laying half in the chair and half on the floor of the cockpit, figures clutching at the cool metal, green about the face.

 

“I see you got into the Mandalorian stuff.” Torian was surprised Muirea wasn’t either in a coma or puking her guts out. Not even Mandalorians could drink one and a half cases by themselves.

 

“It’s the closest thing to tequila we have. Apparently.” Muirea hiccupped. “I don’t even know what tequila is. Only that apparently it’s something earthlings drink when they want to forget life for a while. It’s not working.”

 

Torian sat beside Muirea, began stroking her forehead.

 

“You can keep doing that forever.” She murmured, sighing in contentment.

 

They stayed like that for a while.

 

“I wish there was something I could do.” Torian said finally.

 

“I know.” Muirea opened her eyes. “You could just please stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

 

“Yes.” Torian agreed before he realized what he was agreeing to.

 

Muirea’s smile made any trepidation he had disintegrate. “Carry me to her room, please.” She lifted up her arms.

 

Torian scooped her up, standing and lifting her in one fluid motion. Muirea cooed in delight, resting her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck.

 

“I can carry you to your room. I don’t think Aric plans to leave her room any time soon.” Torian looked down at the Sith Lord turned Alliance Commander. She was lighter than she looked and she looked like she’d blow away in a slight breeze.

 

Muirea’s face cleared. “Oh, I didn’t even think about how this would affect Aric. Poor dear.” Tears welled up in her eyes again. “I miss her.”

 

Torian kissed Muirea’s forehead. “I know.” He said against her skin, before pulling back. “Let’s go to bed.”

 

“Ok.” Muirea mumbled into his neck, already halfway asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

** Muirea 9. **

The entire alliance was mourning. Those who hadn’t known Aileas were touched by her death. Finally noticing all the little things she had done. Such as order caf service for everybody working every shift, keeping the bar organized and well stocked, humming the songs from her home world as she ran errands or swept. Doctor Oggurobb missed her dearly, not because he lost a science experiment but because she had kept Seetwo out of the lab most of the time by ordering the little droid to translate everything for her in case she fell back into her native language. More people were surprised by a Hutt crying than anything else to occur. Even more surprised when several Force wielders said yes, the Hutt did mourn Aileas because she kept Seetwo away. Now she was gone and Seetwo was puttering about the research lab and medbay playing her songs forlornly; the droid missed Aileas too.

 

The most noted differences were Muirea and Aric Jorgan. Muirea was listless, indecisive, lethargic. She seemed to wilt anytime somebody focused on her. She was always apologizing for her answers, the words she said, her actions, her existence. Always close to tears. Only Torian could coax any sort of backbone from her. Maybe it was his gentle prodding? Maybe it was because he too knew the depth of loss Muirea felt?

 

Aric was aloof, growling, and short tempered. He was more rage than anything else. Only Bey’wan, Nullig, Muirea, and Torian could stand to be in his presence for more than five minutes. And only Muirea could get Aric calm enough to not yell at people. Maybe it was because Muirea would phrase the question as an explanation, a sentence instead of a direct question, a phrase? Maybe it was because the former Sith too knew the depth of Aric’s self recriminations?

 

The strangest scene happened a week after the realization of Aileas’ demise, people found Muirea holding Aric on the balcony. Her arms viselike around his middle, a strong breeze blowing them away from the edge.

 

Everybody ignored it.

 

#

 

Muirea was woken from a dead sleep by a persistent knocking on her bedroom door.

 

“Torian,” she mumbled. “Who is it?”

 

Torian picked up the datapad that connected to the door camera. “It’s Theron.”

 

Muirea tucked herself closer to her Mandalorian bed partner. “Tell him to go away.”

 

Torian had kept Muirea company every night since the announcement about Aileas a month ago. All they did was sleep with Muirea wrapped in his arms.

 

“What do you want, Theron?” Torian pressed the intercom to ask.

 

“What are you doing with the Commander?” Theron asked. “Wait, never mind, wake her up. It’s important.”

 

“Can’t it wait until the morning?” Torian glanced down at the sleeping Muirea. It looked so right to see her snuggled against his side, a leg thrown across his body, her head pillowed on his shoulder, her hair flowing down around his arm and chest, hand curled around his neck.

 

“It has to do with Aileas.” Theron could wonder about the Commander’s sleeping arrangements later.

 

“Aileas?” Muirea sat bolt upright, yanked the datapad over to her. “What about her? You better not be lying to me, Shan.” She spoke in quiet menace.

 

“Not lying. Get up, get dressed, and meet the incoming shuttle.” Theron ran, headed towards the shuttle bay.

 

Muirea Force pulled clothes to both herself and Torian, using the Force to help herself get dressed while she tried to run towards the door.

 

“Muirea!” Torian grabbed her arm. “You’re going to fall and you just put on my pants.”

 

“Oh,” Muirea looked down at herself. She had indeed put on Torian’s pants.

 

“Let’s focus and get you dressed properly.” Torian shook his head.

 

#

 

Muirea stood impatiently in the shuttle bay. She had allowed Torian to help her dress in only the necessities, that precluded shoes or socks, she even tried to leave without pants but he yanked her back inside the room, forcing her into some old leggings she used to spar in.

 

Muirea was nervous. It had to do with Aileas. Was it her body? Torian’s hand was a lifeline to sanity on her shoulder. His warmth stealing through her shirt as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

 

Finally, the shuttle landed and Bowdaar exited, extending a hand to help somebody off the shuttle. Muirea felt herself stop breathing as Aileas limped out of the shuttle.

 

Aileas was thinner, much thinner, wane looking, limping, with labored breathing but it was Aileas.

 

“Did you miss me?” Aileas smiled despite the pain, limping into Muirea’s stunned arms.

 

“How?” Muirea asked, pulled her cousin into a frantic embrace.

 

“He let me go.” Aileas shrugged.

 

“Why?” Muirea was never going to let go of Aileas ever again.

 

“Because I’m dying.” Aileas pulled back, the truth plainly in her eyes.

 

Muirea opened her mouth to deny it, to deny the very truth she saw and felt but Aileas’ eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed on the shuttle bay floor.

 

“Lana!” Muirea panicked.

 

Torian was there, in an instant, scooping up Aileas like he had done to Muirea before, running to get her to the med-bay.

 

#

 

Nullig woke up, shook Bey’wan’s shoulder, the Bothan could sleep the sleep of the dead.

 

“What?” Bey’wan asked blurry eyed before coming fully awake at seeing Nullig’s frantic signing.

 

**_:Get Major Jorgan. It’s Aileas.:_** Was all she signed before Bey’wan was up and running into the living room attached to their suite.

 

“Aric!” Bey’wan shook his friend’s shoulder. “Wake up!”

 

Nullig had somehow convinced the Cathar to stay in her and Bey’wan's suite instead of living in Aileas’. It was by unspoken agreement that Torian do the same with Muirea. But still, far too often over the last month, all three had found both Aric and Muirea in Aileas’ room, clutching pillows or lying on the bed.

 

Aric woke rather how a rancor wakes, grumpy and ready for battle. He lunged at Bey’wan, tackling the much smaller Bothan to the floor before becoming fully awake. “What?” Aric hissed; he was not pleased with being woken up.

 

“Aileas is back.” Bey’wan looked to the doorway of his bedroom.

 

Nullig was coming out of it. **_:She’s been taken to her room. It’s an emergency.:_**

 

Aric jumped off Bey’wan, began putting on actual clothes instead of his sleep clothes. He ran out of the suite still putting on a shirt, no shoes.

 

Bey’wan and Nullig exchanged a glance.

 

His said ‘Should we follow him?’

 

Hers said ‘No. This is private.’

 

#

 

Dr. Lokin was woken up and dragged into Aileas’ room. He studied the poor girl.

 

“She can be saved.” He said finally. “But it will take a lot of work.” He looked to Seetwo. “Seetwo, go bring all the essentials from when she was first brought into the medical lab.”

 

The droid ran, clanking and whirring down the hallway.

 

“What needs to be done to save her?” Muirea touched her Aileas’ cheek. “I’ll make sure you have it.”

 

“I need to lower the atmosphere in the room, somehow find a way to pump a combined mix of oxygen in the room since she’s been breathing enough of Zakuul’s that her body would rebel if we went back to just her atmosphere.” Lokin rubbed his chin. “In reality, Arcann stealing her was probably a good thing if she lives. She’ll be able to walk around longer without her breathing mask if she needs it at all if we can cure her.”

 

Muirea nodded, placing a hand over Torian’s ever present one on her shoulder. “What else do you need?”

 

“I’m going to have to make the room freezing though. Similar to Hoth because the air has to be thinner and easier to breathe in order for it to really work so I need somebody that can withstand cold air and not freeze. I will provide blankets of course because even the poor girl will freeze on Hoth.”

 

“I’ll do it.” Aric spoke from the doorway. “I’ll be the warm body.”

 

Every head turned to looked at the Cathar. He showed signs that he had run but he wasn’t breathing heavy and he didn’t look at anything else but Aileas.

 

“Are you sure Major Jorgan?” Muirea asked, she knew how Aric felt, of course she did. They had spent enough time together mourning in the last month that she could read him like a book now.

 

“She saved my life once. The least I can do is return the favor.” Aric met Muirea’s eyes. Intense orange gaze to blue.

 

Muirea nodded. “Get the blankets, Doctor. And whatever else Major Jorgan will need to survive comfortably.”

 

“I don’t care if I’m comfortable.” He looked at Lokin. “Will this save her?”

 

Lokin studied Aric long enough for everybody to start squirming except for Aric; he just stood there looking steadily back at the Doctor.

 

“Yes. If she has a reason to live.” Lokin cut his eyes to Aileas then back to Aric. “Patients this sick only live because they’re given a reason.”

 

“She’ll have a reason.” Aric promised.

 

“Yes, I’m sure she will.” Lokin smiled. He rarely smiled and it was off-putting.

 

Torian leaned in to whisper in Muirea’s ear, “Let’s leave them to it, we’re only in the way.”

 

Muirea looked up at him and nodded. Torian took her hand and led her out into the hallway and back to her room.

 

“Torian,” Muirea said as Seetwo passed them, running back towards Aileas’ room. “What did Major Jorgan mean by Aileas saving his life?”

 

Torian squeezed her hand. “Exactly that. She saved his life.”

 

“Literally saved it? Not metaphorically?”

 

“Literally.” Torian half smiled.

 

“When and why wasn’t I told?” Muirea stopped, pulled on Torian’s arm.

 

“It was while we were gone taking down another Star Fortress. And nobody wanted to worry you.” Torian brushed some hair off her face with the back of his hand.

 

Muirea got a stubborn look in her eyes, refusing to move until Torian told her the entire story.

 

Chuckling, Torian tucked some more hair behind her ear. “Somebody in the Empire heard that Havoc Squad, specifically Major Jorgan, was a part of the Alliance so they sent an assassin to take him out. Aileas had been running back and forth doing errands all day and she noticed the would be assassin and she did not like the looks of him. So she followed the assassin and when she saw the assassin begin to pull out a knife to knife Aric in the back, she tackled him to the ground.” Torian could well imagine the scene. He had been tackled by Aileas once and it was not an experience he wanted to have again. He rubbed his ribs absentmindedly at the memory. “Lana interrogated the would be assassin, found out the truth and everything was taken care of. So she saved his life literally.”

 

Muirea chewed her top lip. “I wasn’t told because I would worry that my people aren’t safe if an assassin could get in.”

 

Torian nodded. Muirea was intelligent, no wonder she was asked with helping take out the Emperor.

 

Muirea chewed her lips, alternating between her top and bottom lip as she worried. “Ok,” she said finally. “I’m too tired to be annoyed and too worried to be mad. Take me back to bed, please.”

 

“Of course.” Torian squeezed her hand, once again leading her to her room.


	10. Chapter 10

Seetwo was ecstatic that Aileas was back, even if she was in a coma in a freezing room with Major Jorgan. Its mistress was back, and it was happy; puttering about the Alliance base blasting its favorite song. Nobody really knew what it was playing, all they knew was that the voice sounded angry and spoke whatever language Aileas spoke.

 

And Seetwo wasn’t the only thing happy with Aileas’ return. Muirea was happy. And as Alliance leader, Muriea’s happiness was important to everybody. Even Gault and Nico could be seen questioning Oggorub about Aileas’ health, the two older men pretending they wanted Aileas to get better so she could teach them to play poker better.

 

#

 

Aileas woke up to the song “Get Low” playing on repeat. She would never understand why that was Seetwo’s favorite song to play when the droid was happy, but she didn’t bother to ask either. She shook her head, stretching and encountering a very warm very furry body. Cracking an eye open she saw the face of Major Aric Jorgan and he was staring at her, his marigold eyes looking intently at her.

 

Why? Then she realized how cold her room was. Ah. Major Jorgan was here to make sure she didn’t freeze to death; the blankets were also heated.

 

“Mistress!” Seetwo chirped in English. “You are awake!”

 

“Yes, I’m awake.” Ailease rolled her eyes. “Could you please inform Major Jorgan I need to take a piss.”

 

Seetwo hummed happily. “Of course, Mistress.” there was a whirring noise, indicating that the droid was switching its language back over to Basic. “ _Major Jorgan, my mistress says she needs to take a piss._ ”

 

Aric’s gaze flickered from the droid to Aileas. “I know.” he said it slowly in English.

 

Aileas felt shock, absolute shock. Since when did Major Jorgan learn how to speak English? Only Seetwo, Twovee, Nullig, and Muirea knew how to speak English.

 

“Give me a minute and I can carry you to the restroom.” Aric spoke slowly and he tripped over the word ‘restroom’ but he did speak English.

 

Ailease felt her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline, her mouth agape. She watched mutely as Aric crawled out of bed, naked, before he bent down and lifted her into his arms, carrying her into the refresher.

 

#

 

“Master!” Twovee clanked into the command room. “Mistress Aileas is awake! Seetwo has informed me of it.”

 

The caf mug in Muriea’s hand slipped out of loose fingers. “Really?” She squeaked.

 

“Yes! Major Jorgan has carried her to the refresher to ‘take a piss’.” Twovee chirped happily.

 

Muirea turned pleading eyes to Lana.

 

“Go.” Lana smiled at the Alliance commander.

 

Muirea flashed a smile before running full speed towards Aileas’ room.

 

The remaining people in the command room all smiled at each other. Aileas was awake.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Get Low"- song by Lil Jon & The East Side Boys. I know that song isn't angry, nor does it really sound angry, I was just trying to think of how it would sound to people not from Earth. (also, in case you forgot, Aileas is from Earth, as mentioned in chapter 2). And as for picking this song, i don't know, i just wanted a really random song for C2 to like. *shrugs*


	11. Chapter 11

Muirea watched in increasing confusion as Aric doted on Aileas. The only thing normal about the entire situation was the increasing confusion on Aileas’ face. Muirea was trying to hide her confusion, her cousin was not.

 

“Thank you, Major.” Aileas said slowly in Basic when Aric handed her a cup of what Aileas called coffee.

 

Aric nodded, straightened the blankets around Aileas’ shoulders before sitting down beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

 

Aileas and Muirea exchanged looks. Muirea wanted to ask loads of questions, Aileas didn’t want to talk about it.

 

“So,” Muirea spread her hands.

 

“So, right.” Aileas took a sip of caf. “God, do I fucking love _coffee_.” She shared a smile with Muirea, their love of caf was something else the two women had in common even if they were from different galaxies. “Please, don’t kill Arcann.”

 

Muirea reacted as if slapped, even Aric glared at Aileas.

 

“Why the fuck not?” Muirea hissed. “You almost died!”

 

“Not because of him!” Aileas hissed back. “Listen, is he an absolute asshole? Yes! But he is nothing, nothing compared to Vaylin.” She closed her eyes. “Arcann yelled at the Knights that captured me. I don’t remember most of what he said because he spoke it rapidly. But from what I could understand he was yelling at them for being so stupid that they got the wrong woman. Because I’m obviously not you.”

 

“Did he?” Muirea didn’t want to mention torture.

 

“No, he never did anything mean to me.” Aileas shook her head. “He tried to send me back to Bowdaar but Vaylin’s spies were everywhere.” She shuddered. “In fact, he protected me from Vaylin.”

 

Muirea noticed the intense way Aric was studying Aileas; the Cathar was hanging on her every word. Interesting.

 

“Protected you?” Muirea shook her head in confusion.

 

“When he found out I couldn’t breathe the air he tried to send me to the Force Healers, quickly finding out the Force has no effect on me. When Vaylin found that out-,” Aileas began shivering in fear and revulsion. “You don’t want to know what Vaylin wanted to do to me.”

 

The room was silent as Muirea watched how tender Aric was with her cousin.

 

“Please, if you can, don’t kill Arcann.” Aileas shuddered in revulsion. “His treatment of me is proof that he can be saved. But Vaylin,” her eyes turned to stone. “Vaylin needs to die the next chance you get.”

 

Muirea sputtered, Aileas had never spoken that way.

 

“Promise me. Promise me that you will kill Vaylin if you get the chance.” Aileas leaned forward, grabbing Muirea’s hand.

 

Muirea blinked, looking down from Aileas’ determined, pleading eyes to their clasped hands. “I promise.”

 

Aileas relaxed, falling back into Aric’s arms. “Thank you.” Relief evident in every word.

 

#

 

Torian was waiting for Muirea at the entrance to her room.

 

“Oh, Torian, you’re here.” Muirea sounded relieved.

 

Torian blushed and scratched the back of his head. “Of course. You want me to leave?”

 

Muirea shook her head, her black hair threatening to fall out of the bun she wore it in. “No! I want you here!”

 

Torian blushed harder. “Alright.”

 

He waited patiently as Muirea opened the door and walked in, trailing close behind her.

 

“Want some rum?” Muirea asked. “I want some rum.”

 

“Sure.” He took a seat on her couch.

 

He watched her as she shuffled about the room, taking off her shoes and getting glasses and a bottle of rum before she sat beside him on the couch.

 

They clinked their glasses together in a toast.

 

“What do you think of Major Jorgan and Aileas?” She asked after the first glass was drunk.

 

“Hmm.” Torian said. “I think he likes her more than he lets on. He learned her language for her.”

 

Muirea coughed. “What?”

 

“Yeah, Nullig was teaching him.” Torian frowned. “Why?”

 

“Then he knew exactly what we were talking about the entire time!” Muirea frowned, momentarily angry.

 

Torian laughed. “But he didn’t comment, so he understood it was private. And he doesn’t seem the type to spread tales.”

 

Muirea sighed. “I know.”

 

They sat in silence.

 

“You know, if you’d rather go back to the Mandalorian wing you could.” Muirea offered, looking down at her hand clenched around the glass, the sleeping arrangement with Torian was only supposed to be temporary.

 

Torian’s hand covering hers while he plucked her glass from her hand and placed it on the table had her eyes meeting his.

 

“I’d rather stay with you if that’s alright.” He smiled slightly.

 

Muirea blushed and looked away. “Ok.”

 

“Rea,” he whispered, hand gripping her chin, “may I kiss you?”

 

Muirea blinked at him a few times, nobody had ever asked to kiss her before. “Alright.”

 

Torian’s mouth quirked up, as he leaned in to kiss her.

 

The last time they had kissed, both had been drunk. This time they were both sober.

 

Her lips were soft and inviting, giving way to his, tentatively, he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, asking for permission to deepen the kiss. She moaned and opened her mouth; his tongue took the opportunity to slide in and against hers.

 

Groaning, Muirea’s hand wrapped around his neck, she angled her head to make it easier for Torian to kiss her. Moaning into her mouth, Torian moved both his hands into her hair.

 

It was several minutes later, the kisses becoming more heated when Muirea moved to his lap, straddling him, gasping when she felt his erection confined to his pants rub against her.

 

Torian pulled her hair back, kissing down her neck, one of his hands slid to her waist, she moved it to her ass. Their eyes meet and she nodded.

 

“If you want to.” She said breathlessly.

 

Torian nodded, the hand on her ass sliding into her pants, his mouth going back to her neck, beginning to nibble and kiss the skin.

 

Muirea cried out, hips flexing in time of Torian’s sucking of her skin.

 

“I like you.” Torian rasped, kissing his way back to her lips.

 

“I like you too.” Muirea said.

 

“Can we- may I-,” He was stumbling over his words.

 

“You can have sex with me if you want, Torian.” Muirea’s smile was the brightest thing Torian had ever seen.

 

“Is it what you want?” He’d never taken a woman against her will, it wasn’t the Mandalorian way.

 

“I wouldn’t be writhing on top of you silently begging you to fuck me if it wasn’t.” Muirea ground herself against him with more purpose.

 

Torian studied her face, he didn’t want to just fuck her, and he very much doubted she wanted to just be fucked, but they weren’t sure what they were. The attraction had been there since day one with both of them, this had been building for a while.

 

“I don’t want to fuck you, Rea.” Torian whispered, the hand in her hair caressing her face. “I want to make love to you.” He wasn’t even sure if what he felt was love.

 

Muirea’s eyes widened and he was afraid that for a minute she’d push him away but then she smiled, differently from before, a softness came to her eyes.

 

“I like your idea better.” She leaned in and kissed him.

 

Not breaking the kiss, Torian picked her up, walking them to her bed. Still not breaking the kiss he slowly began undressing her. So glad she favored shirts that buttoned and zipped up. For every inch he revealed he left hungry open-mouthed kisses.

 

When he got to her breasts, he laved one then the other with attention, licking and sucking her nipples until they were hard and pleasantly bruised.

 

Then he started on her pants.

 

“Torian!” Muirea moaned, hands fisting in his hair.

 

“Soon.” He kissed a thigh.

 

He pushed her onto the bed as he swept her pants off. Catching her eyes, he began stripping, slowly, revealing his body inch by inch, the sound of her labored breathing his reward.

 

Finally, naked, he climbed onto the bed, hovering over her, stealing her lips in a kiss as a hand fisted in her hair, another going south to rub torturous circles on her clit.

 

Muirea gasped, her legs falling open wider.

 

“Torian, I’m not a virgin.” Muirea panted, her hips gyrating against his hand.

 

“Good.” Torian lined himself up at her entrance. “Look at me.” He cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him as he slid into her.

 

Muirea’s mouth opened in a soundless cry when she felt Torian rock-hard cock enter her. It filled her perfectly, hitting all the right spots. “Ngh!”

 

Torian kissed her again as he began moving, eyes closing as he felt her channel gripping his shaft.

 

Muirea met him thrust for thrust, her hands clutching at his shoulders as his shaft kept rubbing her insides just right.

 

“Ngh! Torian!” Muirea was so close. “Please!”

 

Torian kissed her, he could feel her channel gripping his dick harder, indicating she was about to come, and he wanted to come with her. Reaching down, he grabbed a leg, positioning it higher on his back, allowing him to bottom out.

 

Muirea cried out in pleasure, she hadn’t thought it could feel better. Torian’s eyes crossed in pleasure as her channel started gripping his shaft even tighter.

 

“Rea!” He was so close.

 

Muirea and Torian locked eyes.

 

“Do you trust me?” She panted, her hands gripping his face.

 

“Of course.” Torian said, he didn’t even have to think about it.

 

She smiled before her face morphed into one of complete ecstasy, her body crackling with lightning, her movements becoming more frantic.

 

Torian felt his vision go white about the edges as the lightning traveled up his spine.

 

“Rea!” He shouted as he came.

 

“Torian!” Muirea moaned, her body tensing as she orgasmed.

 

They lay there panting, the lightning crackling around their bodies.

 

Chuckling, Torian placed exhausted kisses over her neck and shoulder. “That was-.”

 

“Was it alright?’ Muirea asked, voice tiny and unsure.

 

“It was the best sex of my life, Muirea.” Torian said, pulling out of her and pulling her into his arms.

 

Muirea giggled. “Same here.”

 

Torian kissed her forehead.

 

#

 

Aileas and Aric glared at each other.

 

“Major Jorgan, you can leave. I’m fine. You heard both Lokin and Oggorub.” Aileas’ smile was full of teeth.

 

Aric’s smile was just as toothy. “You think I trust the worm and the former Imp?”

 

“You trust Rea.” Aileas pointed out.

 

“True, but she’s proven herself.” Aric pointed out too.

 

Aileas narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

 

She and Aric were glaring at each other from five feet away. Aileas was standing by the door because as of thirty minutes ago she had told Aric he could leave. Aric was standing by the couch and refusing to leave.

 

She should’ve felt awkward standing in her room wearing nothing but a white t-shirt confronting a fully dressed Aric. But he had spent almost two weeks cuddled up next to her naked form, she figured seeing her in a t-shirt was a nice change.

 

“What will it take to get you to leave?” Aileas ground out finally.

 

Aric cocked his head to the side, his gaze falling to her lips. “This.”

 

He crossed the five feet, hands on either side of Aileas’ head, kissing her.

 

Aileas didn’t think, all she did was react, her hands wrapping around his neck, mouth opening to allow his tongue to sweep in.

 

Moaning, she lifted a leg to wrap around his hips, gasping as she felt his erection against her.

 

Aric felt the heat through his pants, groaning he pressed her against the door she had been trying to get him to leave through, grinding himself against her. This was entirely different from Alyce, Alyce would’ve punched him in the face for kissing her without her permission. This Aileas seemed to revel in Aric taking charge. Although, he knew that if this Aileas hadn’t wanted the kiss, she would’ve punched him just as hard as Alyce would have.

 

“Do you want this?” He growled, rubbing himself against her weeping center.

 

“God, yes!” Aileas hissed, hands going to undo Aric’s pants.

 

Aric growled again, knocking her hands out of the way, undoing his buckle and pants faster than she ever would’ve been able to.

 

His aching cock finally free, he rubbed the tip against her, eliciting moans from both of them.

 

“Aric!” Aileas moaned, flexing her hips, begging him to enter her, ravish her. “Please!”

 

Aric growled, slamming himself into her, his hands sliding over her stomach to thumb and pinch her nipples.

 

Aileas cried out at being completely full. It had been six years since she had sex back on Earth. The last time being with her fiancé before he died in a car accident on his way to work. The feeling of Aric’s dick inside her was heaven.

 

“Ngh!” Aileas threw her head back as she adjusted to his size.

 

Aric closed his eyes momentarily; it had been nine years since he last had sex. And god, he remembered everything about Alyce and Aileas was better. The way Aileas’ channel gripped his shaft was the best feeling.

 

“Fuck, Aileas!” Aric whispered.

 

He found the pulse on her neck, his mouth latching on as he began moving, the sound of Aileas’ crying and screaming in pleasure making him purr.

 

“Aric! Ngh! _So close_!” She panted in English in his ear. “ _Please! Keep going! Fuck! Yes! Right there!_ ”

 

The fact that he was able to understand her, understand her begging had his dick growing bigger, had him changing the angle, had him throwing her legs over his shoulders so he could bottom out.

 

Sucking on the skin over her pulse, Aric felt her winding up.

 

“ _Come for me._ ” Aric rasped before he bit her, teeth sinking into her skin.

 

Aileas shouted in a combination of ecstasy and pain, feeling Aric’s teeth break her skin, feeling his sucking motion as he sucked her blood and skin, orgasming harder than she had ever orgasmed.

 

Aric thrust into her a few more times before he too orgasmed.

 

Licking the last remnant of blood off her shoulder, Aric kissed back to Aileas’ lips.

 

This kiss was lazy, both sated and happy.

 

#

 

Bey’wan snuggled Nullig close to his side.

 

“I’m glad Aileas is better.” Bey’wan said.

 

Nullig nodded.

 

Bey’wan sniffed her hair before kissing her. Sniffing Nullig always made him happy.

 

The kiss quickly morphed into something hotter, needier. Pulling Bey’wan on top of her, Nullig wrapped her legs around his waist, indicating she wanted sex.

 

Bey’wan chuckled and took his sleep pants off, pleasantly discovering that Nullig was already wet and waiting for him.

 

“I love you.” Bey’wan whispered fervently, entering her.

 

Nullig used her fingers to tap in Morse*, saying she loved him back, her eyes closing in happiness, flexing her hips, giving him permission to start moving.

 

Kissing her arm, Bey’wan began moving. He varied his speed, sometimes going fast and hard, other times going slow and soft, leaving open mouth wet kisses on her neck and torso, bending so he could suck a breast into his mouth.

 

Since Nullig was mute she made no noises indicating she was enjoying herself, but since she was Force sensitive, she often made a mild current coast along his spine, the stronger the current, the more she was enjoying it.

 

Bey’wan could feel her winding up, she spread her legs wider allowing him to bottom out.

 

“That’s it, Nully!” Bey’wan rapsed, looking down at her.

 

Nullig let out a soundless scream as a small whirlwind erupted in the room as they orgasmed simultaniously.

 

Kissing him, Nullig began running her hand through his beard.

 

#

 

Lana and Theron stared as Muirea and Torian refused to meet each other’s eyes without blushing and giggling, as Bey’wan and Nullig held hands as he went about directing and overseeing the training, as Aileas and Aric refused to talk to each other at all.

 

It was strange.

 

“Did anything happen last night?” Theron asked.

 

Lana pursed her lips. “I’m unsure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morse, yeah, i realize that Morse Code isn't in SWTOR but i could not think of a SWTOR equivalent so i just stuck with Morse. Sorry, y'all.


End file.
